In March 30, 1981, which person said to his wife, "Honey, I forgot to duck"?

This famous quip was delivered by President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981, just 69 days into his first term. As he was being wheeled into the emergency room after being shot, he saw his wife, Nancy, and offered the remark to lighten the mood. The line itself was a clever reference to a famous moment in sports history; boxer Jack Dempsey had said the same thing to his own wife after losing his heavyweight title to Gene Tunney in 1926. For Reagan, a former actor and sports announcer, the comment was a perfect display of his characteristic wit and composure under extreme pressure.

The man who fired the shots outside the Washington Hilton Hotel was John W. Hinckley, Jr. His motivation was not political but was instead a bizarre attempt to impress actress Jodie Foster. Hinckley had developed an obsession with Foster after seeing her in the film *Taxi Driver*, in which a character plots to assassinate a presidential candidate. In his disturbed mind, carrying out a similar high-profile attack would elevate him to her level and win her affection.

Though Reagan's jokes suggested a minor incident, his injury was life-threatening. A .22 caliber bullet had ricocheted off the armored limousine and lodged in his left lung, just an inch from his heart, causing it to collapse. His calm demeanor continued in the operating room, where he famously joked to the surgeons, "I hope you are all Republicans." Reagan's grace and humor throughout the ordeal greatly boosted his popularity with the American public.